Memoirs from a Cheese-Loving Minnesotan’s Trip to France

For those who don't know me, allow me to introduce myself – Hi!  I'm Erin and I am the Sales Manager for the Caves of Faribault.  I’ve been working in the cheese industry for just about 15 years now and my career started working behind a grocery store cheese counter as a cheesemonger (someone who sells cheese).  Even though I may not be slinging cheese behind a counter much these days, I still am a cheesemonger at heart, in search of incredible regional food, exceptional markets selling the finest ingredients, and of course, all the cheese shops I can find when I travel!  Recently, I was lucky enough to travel to France for a culinary adventure unlike anything I ever imagined.  I attended a seven-day Masterclass at Le Calabash School of Cooking in the Loire Valley and ended with two fabulous days in Paris.  Aside from the in-depth cooking classes focusing on key ingredients like chocolate, vanilla, ice cream, duck and salmon, we also traveled around to visit the “must-see” places for food lovers.  If you are a gastronomy geek who centers your vacays around food like myself, here are my most memorable stops and lessons learned from my French Culinary adventure.

 

The Touring Turophile

The Loire Valley is known as the “Garden of France” because of the abundance of vineyards, fruit orchards and vegetable farms due to the climate and soil in the region.  It is also known for goat cheese.  One AOP (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée*) cheese that comes from the Loire Valley is Sainte-Maure de Touraine.  We were lucky enough to visit one of the 50 farms that still produces this cheese today.  We were able to play with the goats as well as see the cheesemaking room and cheese ripening cooler.  Everything is done by hand from the milking to the cheesemaking, including the final wrapping of the cheese.  It’s truly a sight to behold for any turophile, but as an ex-monger who used to sell this cheese, it was a special moment that I hold dear to my heart.  This particular farm was going to go out of business because the original owners were set to retire and didn’t have anyone to take it over.  Eventually, when a younger couple found out that the farm may close, they bought the business and over the course of six months, learned from the original owners the ins-and-outs of raising goats and making cheese.  They understood the importance of carrying on the tradition of making Sainte-Maure de Touraine.

 

*Since 1990, Sainte-Maure de Touraine has been designated an AOC cheese.  What's an AOP cheese? Check out this article explaining it from our friends at Culture Cheese Magazine.  Because of this designation, there are many rules that the cheesemaker must follow when making this cheese.  One of the rules states that there has to be a piece of rye straw inserted through the center of the cheese after draining but before removing from the mold.  This straw states all the cheesemaker's information so you can trace this cheese back to one of the 50 farms that still makes this cheese.  You’ll know you are buying a true Sainte-Maure de Touraine by the straw, the log or “buche” shape and the vegetable ash that is used to cover the geotrichum rind (a geotrichum rind is the rind on a soft-ripened cheese that looks like a brain).

 

A Magnifique Market

Another hot spot for any food lover is Les Halles Market in Tour, France.  Two days a week, there is a pop-up farmer’s market outside the indoor market that offers fresh veggies, fruit, meat, seafood, cheese and other goodies from local purveyors that may not have a permanent stand in the shop.  Inside Les Halles are small, permanent stalls that sell an array of different foods.  My personal favorite was the Rodolphe le Meunier cheese stall.  Rodolphe Le Meunier is one of France's most famous affineurs who came from three generations of cheese producers from La Croix-en-Touraine.  He was named both the Meilleur Ouvrier de France (Best Craftsman of France) and Meilleur Fromager International (Best International Cheesemonger) in 2007 and his cheeses back up both these titles!  Though we are lucky enough to have some access to his cheeses here in the US, they are often the semi-hard cheeses due to our pasteurization laws.  In France, all bets are off and the soft ripened cheeses were ooey, gooey and perfectly ripe.  Seeing his cheese counter and talking to the mongers was an unforgettable experience!  Besides the cheese, my favorite stalls were the charcuterie stalls.  Nothing goes great with cheese like the French favorite, saucisson sec.  But these charcuterie stands don’t stop at dry-cured sausages!  The selection of rillettes, pates, andouillettes and rillons are unreal.  This market is definitely the place to go to pick up all your cheeseboard essentials as well as any ingredients you may need to cook the perfect French meal.

 

The City of Lights

My last stop before departing home was Paris, the City of Lights.  More like the city of all things delicious!  Besides the fact that most restaurants offer affordable three-course meals that end with a cheese plate as the dessert option, the shops we saw and the snacks we ate along our Parisian adventure were food meccas.  One of the most memorable for me was Marché Couvert Les Enfants Rouges, located in the heart of the Le Marais neighborhood.  Both Parisians and tourists come to this market for produce, meat, cheese and quick lunches.  Le Traiteur Marocain is the place to go for affordable and delicious couscous and tagines dishes.  The Couscous Royale is a great way to try all the faves that this restaurant has to offer.  Don’t snooze on the mint green tea or the baklava either!  If you want to eat like a local, definitely visit this market.  Another favorite hangout for chefs is Rue Montemartre, the home to the Paris’ Kitchen and Chef Supply Shop.  There are numerous shops for all your kitchen supply needs, but the most famous and oldest shop is E’Dehillerin.  They sell pots, pans, knives, fondue pots, chocolate molds and more!  I know I bought a couple cheese knives from this shop that are hard to find in the states.  It’s the perfect place to pick up a couple small souvenirs for your foodie friends (and yourself of course).

 

Before I Bid You Adieu

I hope you enjoyed hearing about my tasty travels as much as I did writing about them!  In closing, I wanted to leave you with a recipe for a cheesy French dish that will help get you through the fall and winter.  Nothing says “comfort” quite like the Croque-Monsieur (translation: “crunchy mister”).  The original Croque- Monsieur dates back to 1910 when it first appeared on a menu in Paris.  It is basically a toasted ham and cheese sandwich.  Though that may not sound totally decadent, we know that the French do not mess around when it comes to bread (brioche anyone?), cheese, ham and sauces.  This toasted sandwich takes two thin slices of white bread (we like brioche), cheese (commonly Comté in France), thinly sliced ham and béchamel sauce.  First, toast the bread in the oven with the ham and cheese until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted.  Then, take it out of the oven, cover it in your homemade béchamel sauce and more grated cheese, and place under the broiler until the cheese is all bubbly and brown.  We like to go the extra step and make it a Croque Madame by topping the sandwich with a medium fried egg before serving.  You are definitely going to want this upgrade! 

 

Bon Appétit!